Clocks are used in various computational and electronic devices in many different applications. Many functions use timestamps to log activities and may use clocks to schedule various functions for future execution. Many applications may use messaging to communicate between two different devices and to coordinate activities between the two devices.
Clocks on different devices may be subject to many different factors that may cause one clock to vary with respect to the other. Even between two identical devices, factors such as power level and temperature may cause one clock to vary with respect to another. Many clocks will inherently differ due to differences in the underlying circuitry, sensing techniques, or control circuitry.
Coordination of one clock with respect to another may be useful when analyzing the overall operation or performance of a system that has multiple devices.